Research Interests
"The science of living things is the science of movement and transformation" - attributed to Leonardo DaVinci.
Cell Biology of neuronal trafficking in physiology and neurodegenerative diseases: Due to their complex geometry and finite sites of bulk protein synthesis (perikarya), neurons have evolved elaborate transport and trafficking machineries to deliver proteins into axons and dendrites. How are somatically-synthesized proteins delivered to their appropriate sites, and then retained there (for example at the synaptic terminals)? Knowledge into the biology of this process is critical for determining neuronal form and function; and also to understand how these processes go awry in disease. A general approach in the lab is to develop accurate cellular models of normal and abnormal biological phenotypes – using dissociated neurons from mice, drosophila neurons in-vivo, 3-D organoids, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC's; see http://www.roylab.org/publications.html for list of publications). Current projects include novel uses of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in cellular model-systems of neurodegenerative diseases – particularly Alzheimer’s disease; development and application of new tools (including super-resolution microscopy and optogenetics) to explore axonal transport and intricacies of the neuronal cytoskeleton (particularly actin); and use of iPSC’s to explore human cell biology. A guiding philosophy in the lab is to use whatever tools are needed to explore the question at hand, and whenever necessary, build new ones. The lab has ongoing collaborations with researchers at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID), the Waisman Center, the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Center, as well as several other investigators at UW-Madison; and is located on state of the art laboratory and office space overlooking lake Mendota (within the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research or WIMR-II tower: WIMR-II-science-without-walls). |
What's new?
June 2017: Hannah joins us as a postdoctoral scholar.
June 2017: New paper on slow axonal transport in JCB. May 2017: MSTP student Sue joins us for a rotation. May 2017: Christophe comes to visit Madison. See pic April 2017: A UW 20/20 grant from WARF for the Roy lab. April 2017: New paper on slow axonal transport accepted in JCB. April 2017: SR talks at neuronal cytoskeleton meeting in Chile. Co-organizing in 2019! March 2017: Subhojit talks at Cell Biology study group, invited by Bill Bement. Check out Bill's email to group: "First ever Three-Roy Three-Way" Feb 2017: Subhojit talks at UPenn, invited by Sandra Maday Sept 2016: SR gives talk at Van Andel symposium "Grand Challenges in Parkinson's disease" Feb 2017: Kent joins lab as a new PhD student. He is in the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology program. Dec 2016: Work in the Roy lab featured in PNAS Oct 2016: Jichao and Pankaj join the lab. July 2016: Madison is the new home for the Roy lab. |
